Category: Inclusive Unit

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Reflections on Bringing Lazy Back: A Restful Artefact for MAAI Students (1500)

Alternative music video of Bruno Mars’ The Lazy Song featuring Leonard Nimoy.

 “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde

This essay is an attempt to reflect upon the knowledge acquired over the course of the Inclusive Practice Unit of the Higher Education in Art and Design PgCert. Drawing heavily on the concepts of “radical pedagogy” (Friere, 1970), “radical empathy” (Nagar and Shirazi , 2019), “reflexive practice” (England, 1994), “radical rest” (Carmichael 2020), “idleness” (Russell, 1932) and “inclusive pedagogies” (Connor, Gabel, Gallagher & Morton, 2008) as they pertain to disability, racial diversity and the Capitalist socio-political model of education, I created Bringing Lazy Back (BLB), an artefact (workshop and reading list[1]) designed to advocate for rest as a necessary component of learning rather than as an inconvenience.

Positionality and reflexive thinking

To do this I must reflexively outline my own positionality. Kim England states in Reflexivity, Positionality and Feminist Research that:

“… reflexivity is self-critical sympathetic introspection and the self-conscious analytical scrutiny of the self as researcher” (England 1994).

My interest in rest as a pedagogical practice is deeply personal. When I was 22, at the end of my first year studying Fine Art at university, I was diagnosed with three chronic illnesses – Lupus, Hypothyroidism and Anaemia[2] – after being hospitalized. As a chronically ill person, I am always tired and require more rest than most non-disabled people. I constantly feel guilty for needing to rest more, particularly as an artist with a largely collaborative practice. Prior to my diagnosis, I was attending classes during the day in Hendon, living in Tottenham and working nights in a bar in Dalston. I am obviously not the first student to overwork while studying, however, I believe that lack of rest, paired with the stress of daily 4 hour travel times, contributed to the onset of my disability[3] (Equality Act 2010). Post-diagnosis, I overcompensated and overworked in an attempt to mitigate my physical vulnerability and “pull my weight” in collective projects, leading to further hospitalisations, and the decline of my mental health.

As a woman of mixed Jamaican and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, my natural propensity to overwork is compounded by internalised cultural tropes of exceptionalism – those who are “othered”[4](powell and Menendian, 2020) in our society, must be “exceptional” in all regards to achieve success. As Gabrielle Smith outlines in Resting In Peace While Living (A Complicated Notion) many Black and mixed-race people (white passing ones like myself included) have “complicated” relationships to work and rest (Smith 2019). Smith describes in detail the indoctrination as a result of survival modes (see also Paperny, 2017) brought on by intergenerational trauma that Black women and femmes especially are subject to, the phrase “work twice as hard to get just as far” ringing in our ears with every tap of the yardstick.

These tropes have strong roots in racist stereotypes around “laziness”[5], and in the Capitalist ideology that to produce is virtuous[6] (Woiceshyn, 2019): rendering any action which does not lead to production (rest) sinful by comparison. The desire to be a “model minority” (Barokka 2017) is pervasive[7], toxic, and cannot be underestimated – it is a hydra with many heads. While teaching on MA Applied Imagination (MAAI), a course comprised of majority overseas students[8], I began to interrogate the interplay between concepts of rest and idless, their relationship to ableism and Capitalism, and how these are cross-culturally mirrored. BLB was my attempt to facilitate the consideration of the interlocution of these themes and the way they all contribute to teaching, learning, creativity and creative burnout (Graves et al, 2011)in my students. It is a response to what I see as a significant lack of time off and opportunities for “reverie” (Graves, 2011 pg 209).

Rest-less

Full time MA programmes last one academic year. Students on MAAI are required to work through the holidays to “make the most” of their learning time. For example, during the month-long Easter break, our students were given an independent study period with a project deadline for the first week of term. The expectation is that students will be able to manage their own time effectively. However, this does not help learners who struggle with executive function[9] skills, such as time management or goal setting (Melzer et al, 2018), due to disability. As outlined by Lynne Meltzer in Executive Function in Education, when educators build “explicit strategy instruction”, rest breaks and time management, into the structure of the curriculum all students benefit. While educators cannot be wholly responsible for how students manage their time, the power imbalance between staff and students creates a duty of care[10]. Extending this further, we can surmise that not actively including the explicit instruction of rest is a side-effect of the murky language around reasonable adjustments which allows institutions to further exclude students of variant needs while posturing as inclusive (Reeve, 2007 cited in Graves, 2011). We need to make sure that learners have the tools, and the time, to “learn to relax into work” (Graves, 2011 pg 211).  

Working under the proviso that “no one’s body functions perfectly, or consistently or eternally” (Shakespeare and Watson 2002, cited in Bhagat and O’Neill, 2011) and that “laziness does not exist, but unseen circumstances do” (Price, 2016) I built Bringing Lazy Back around 4 pillars:

  1. In giving students express permission to rest, reinforced by a comfortable environment, I will create an environment where they feel safe to rest.
  2. Distraction is a natural aspect of learning which should be embraced instead of punished (Bui, 2020).
  3. Distraction is usually an indication that one needs rest, not that they are “lazy”.
  4. “Idleness” is a useful tool for learning and creativity. (Russel, 1932) (See also Metz, 2020)

This is of particular relevance now that students are expected to continue their studies during a pandemic. As a collective both staff and students were in the middle of processing the traumatic global effects of Covid-19 and likely needed a break (Barbash, 2020). The shift to digital teaching impacted my ability to test BLB as I would have liked. Designed as an immersive experience intended to disrupt the usual operation of classroom dynamics, it was difficult to replicate the relaxing environment[11] I had planned when coping with poor internet connections[12], dysfunctional webcams[13] and persistent interruptions from relatives[14].

Fig 1
Fig 2

It was clear that I needed to make adaptations . With the twelve-week “intensive independent study period”[15]drawing closer and considering the already packed schedule of MAAI students, a two-hour session engaging with the power of rest and distraction was out of the question. Instead, I began to implement aspects of BLB; frequent comfort breaks, articles on rest and inviting learners to document when they became distracted (Bui, 2020) into my tutorials. The feedback was mixed. One learner from China said that he found the language in an essay I sent him, Bertrand Russell’s In Praise of Idleness, difficult to navigate. While resting after this session, I considered this feedback. In the moment, I had reassured him that the text was dense, and thanked him for being honest and sharing with me. Upon reflection, I felt that I had missed something crucial. I had included this article within the workshop specifically because it is long-winded and would provoke the reader to become distracted. For the purposes of the lesson, this would have worked well to highlight distraction as a part of learning – especially when reading academic texts. Knowing that it may be a difficult read for some, I still suggested it, perhaps out of a misguided desire not to patronise students who have English as a second language. However,  recommending this text out of context had served to further estrange him from the concept of rest, rather than allow him to embrace it. I had not been reasonable enough with my adjustments.

Fig 3

Conversely, feedback from my colleagues on the lesson plan for BLB was positive. They liked that I had built explicit instructions into the fabric of the lesson and that I had also included how long each segment of the session should take. They recommended that I explore the work of The Nap Ministry, a collective of African American artists who “…facilitate immersive workshops and curate performance art that examines rest as a radical tool for community healing.”  (Hersey, undated)[16]. As outlined above, I had layered the concepts and rest tools one atop the other in a way that my colleagues said was simple but effective[17].

Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig 6

Takeaways

To conclude, the difference between these two scenarios further illustrates to me the need for feedback from staff and students with variant levels of ability and diverse backgrounds. It also highlights the need for surrender as an act of radical vulnerability and radical pedagogy (Nagar and Shirazi, 2019). Surrender to the academic process of reviewing one’s practices and adapting accordingly. Surrender to feedback even when it confirms or confronts our internal biases. Finally, surrender to the power of rest and self-care as a tool for learning, change and resistance. 

Bibliography

Russell, B., Gottlieb, A. and Woodhouse, H., 2011. In Praise Of Idleness And Other Essays. 4th ed. London: Routledge, p.In Praise of Idleness. Available at: https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness

England, K., 1994. Getting Personal: Reflexivity, Positionality, and Feminist Research∗. The Professional Geographer, 46(1), pp.80-89.

Freire, P., 2018. Pedagogy Of The Oppressed. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

Carmichael, M., 2020. Radical Rest. [online] Resurgence.org. Available at: https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article2458-radical-rest.html

Smith, G., 2020. Resting In Peace Whilst Living (A Complicated Notion) – By Gabrielle Smith *Edited By Deborah Marie — Island Girls Rock!. [online] Island Girls Rock! Available at: https://islandgirlsrock.com/blog/2019/12/17/resting-in-peace-whilst-living-a-complicated-notion

Paperny, T., 2017. Do Some Trauma Survivors Cope By Overworking?. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/do-some-trauma-survivors-cope-by-overworking/516540/

Woiceshyn, J., 2019. The Virtue Of Production | Capitalism Magazine. [online] Capitalism Magazine. Available at: https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2019/10/business-virtue-production/

Bhagat, D. and O’Neill, P. (eds.), 2011. Inclusive Practices, Inclusive Pedagogies Learning From Widening Participation Research In Art And Design Higher Education. Croydon: CPI Group.

Bui, K., 2020. How Keeping A “Distraction Journal” Completely Revitalized My Workflow & Productivity. [online] The Financial Diet. Available at: https://thefinancialdiet.com/how-keeping-a-distraction-journaling-completely-revitalized-my-workflow-productivity/

Powell, J. and Menendian, S., 2020. The Problem Of Othering: Towards Inclusiveness And Belonging – Othering And Belonging. Available at: http://www.otheringandbelonging.org/the-problem-of-othering/

Metz, E., 2020. Why Idle Moments Are Crucial For Creativity. [online] Bbc.com. Available at:
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170414-why-idle-moments-are-crucial-for-creativity

Meltzer, L., 2018. Executive Function In Education: From Theory To Practice. 2nd ed. New York, London: The Guilford Press.

Jazeel, T., Kent, A., et al (eds) 2019. Nagar, R ,  The World Through Radical Vulnerability, in Keywords In Radical Geography: Antipode At 50. 2nd ed. Hoboken, Oxford: Wiley Press.

Barbash, E., 2020. Coronavirus: The Psychological Trauma And PTSD Event. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/trauma-and-hope/202003/coronavirus-the-psychological-trauma-and-ptsd-event

Hersey, T., n.d. About. [online] The Nap Ministry. Available at: https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/about/

David J. Connor , Susan L. Gabel , Deborah J. Gallagher & Missy Morton (2008): Disability studies and inclusive education — implications for theory, research, and practice, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12:5-6, 441-457

Equalityhumanrights.com. 2010. Equality Act 2010 | Equality And Human Rights Commission. [online] Available at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/equality-act-2010

Khairani Barokka (Okka) (2017) Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve.and.Mary.Are.Having.Coffee while chronically ill, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 22:3, 387-392, DOI: 10.1080/13569783.2017.1324778

Footnotes

[1][ Lesson plan for the workshop and reading list are contained in Appendix A.

[2] Autoimmune diseases such as Lupus frequently “travel in packs” with secondary conditions such as hypothyroidism, migraine, diabetes etc.

[3] Disability is defined under the Equality Act 2010 as: “…a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.”

[4] Powel and Menendian define the practice of “Othering” as a “set of dynamics, processes, and structures that engender marginality and persistent inequality across any of the full range of human differences based on group identities.” [Original italics]

[5] Black people have frequently been portrayed in popular culture as lazy criminals in a racist attempt to dehumanise us.

[6] Worth noting is that our modern concept of “virtue” is heavily influenced by Plato’s dialogues in which he outlines happiness/goodness (eudaimonia) as the ultimate aim of all moral thought and posits that the virtues/excellence (arete) are the only means of attaining goodness via their disciplines.

[7] Khairani Barokka refers to her desire to be a “model minority” in her essay Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill as being one of the reasons she overworked and experienced burnout while touring the performance across the country.

[8] 85% of the current cohort is Chinese.

[9] For example those who are neurodiverse, chronically ill or experience poor mental health. Although there are various definitions for executive function across academia, Melzer classifies executive function as “…a broad term describing the range of skills required for purposeful, goal-directed activity, socially appropriate conduct, and independent regulation of action and affect (Denckla, 1994).”

[10] As defined in the legal sense as “a requirement that a person act toward others and the public with watchfulness, attention, caution and prudence that a reasonable person in the circumstances would. If a person’s actions do not meet this standard of care, then the acts are considered negligent, and any damages resulting may be claimed in a lawsuit for negligence.”

[11] See figs 1&2 .

[12] Many of my Chinese students have been self-isolating in hotels after travelling home from London. The Wi-Fi was frequently unreliable and they often missed large portions of their lessons as a result of poor connectivity and bandwidth.

[13] It is very difficult to gauge how engaged a learner is in the session being taught when their webcam is off and their microphone muted.

[14] During one tutorial a student’s guardian interrupted twice to ask if they wanted anything to drink.

[15] Summer break. During this time students conduct research for projects they have designed themselves in the units leading up to this point. They do this with a “light-touch” facilitation approach from staff.

[16] See Figs 2&3.

[17][17] See Figs 4,5&6.

Appendix A

Fig 1
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Bringing Lazy Back: Proposed Intervention for MAAI Students

What follows is a powerpoint presentation and lesson plan which I presented to my colleagues on the PgCert course for feedback, outlining my proposed intervention/artefact: an action research workshop and reading list centring rest and laziness. As I am a person with several chronic illnesses for which I am classified disabled, I am very interested in the idea of rest as teaching tool and a method of boosting creativity . I am also interested in rest as a political act of protest in a world which expects constant productivity and monetization of joy/hobbies.

Teaching on the MA Applied Imagination course, I noticed that our students are required to work through the holidays. Whilst I completely understand that school of thought that it is necessary for the course to function this way in order for students to get the most out of their time on the course, it does mean that they are constantly engaged with the course material and projects – resulting in there being no curriculum mandated breaks. Obviously the expectation is that students will be able to manage their own time effectively. However, the evidence points towards the majority of students procrastinating, then over working to compensate and burning out because they have not been given express, structural, permission to take time for themselves. Whilst educators cannot be wholly responsible for this, the power imbalance between staff and students creates a need for increased duty of care. For example, during the month-long Easter break our students were given an “independent study” period with a project deadline for the first week of term. This effectively ensures that even if they do take a break they will have the draining anxiety of having a project to complete hanging over their heads, which means that they are not actually receiving the benefits of resting.

MAAI students are already encouraged to wander (flaneurs) and embrace process-based learning , but I wanted to create an intervention that took this message and extended it. I began to consider the impact having no structured deliberate break could have on students, and how I could encourage them to embrace the concept of laziness and rest as an important part of learning rather than as an inconvenience. The use of Bertrand Russell’s text In Praise of Idleness is deliberate. Although it is an easy read compared to the texts of Russell’s contemporaries, it is still quite a dense piece of writing. As a result of this it is harder to absorb and focus on than other, easier, reads which leads to distraction. Functioning as a demonstration of my point that when the brain is expected to process large complex sections of text, it needs more breaks in order to allow time to properly “digest” the information. The current expectation of reading and instantly having an opinion or thought can lead to lack of clarity, critical thinking (which takes time) and engagement with the text in question. (It also privileges extroverted personalities who are able to read quickly at the expense of students with dyslexia or who are introverted for example.) My aim is that allowing students space and time to filter through the text will in fact lead to better understanding and allow them to “give themselves permission” to go at their own pace, rather than overwork themselves and become burnt out as a result.

The feedback from my colleagues was overall positive, they did suggest some further reading and resources such as The Nap Ministry which I have subsequently explored. The original presentation did not include the time allotted for each rest break which upon reflection I thought needed to be addressed, so they were added in later.

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Inclusive Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Race

Black and white Shades of Noir logo

Task 1
Look at the following resources and respond:
Visit the Shades of Noir (SoN) consider how you could use this resource in your
practice and answer the questions Write a min. 250 word reflection or no more
than 10 minute vlog.

How could you apply the resources to your own teaching practice?
The majority of the students I teach are from China, which obviously has its own racial and class tensions that I am beginning to understand more and more through my own research and through engaging with my students. I teach on MA Applied Imagination and we have one of the most diverse course teams in the University, both in practice and in terms of race. I am very conscious that when overseas students attend university in the UK, particularly London, these students are not only learning in a secondary language, they are also learning to navigate British colonial racism along with all the language we use to identify and fight against that racism. It is obvious that many of the students in our cohort really struggle with the differences in culture, including how we talk about race in the UK. If I were to plan a lesson around the Shades site, I think I would set up a safe space for my students to read through some articles or ToRs and openly discuss any terms they may be unfamiliar with or unclear on. Perhaps a translation or terminology creation exercise where we explore the language around race used in different cultures. After that I would discuss my positionality (mixed, Jewish, white-passing, disabled) and ask them to discuss theirs in relation to the ToRs they have read. I think this step is essential to fostering deeper understanding because it is very easy as a student reading an academic text to intellectualise a subject and forget to root your understanding of what you are learning within the context of lived experience. I personally do this a lot, so it would be a good exercise for me as well as my students.

How could you integrate the research/work your students do on this subject into
your teaching/professional practice?
I have to be honest and say that this question makes me a little uncomfortable, because there is a power imbalance between students and staff, the suggestion of “integrating” the work of a student into my own practice feels appropriative. Having said that, I think this very much depends on the work of the students. If the scenario is similar to the one I have outlined above, I would probably work on incorporating discussion of key terms around social justice and race within each session in a way which is accessible and gives the students a chance to feed back their own experiences if they wish to.

Can you cite examples? You will share your thoughts within your groups and
comment and share further resources you use in your own context.
We as a course team have had many discussions around the racism our students have encountered since Covid and how we can provide support for them in a way which is sensitive and maintains healthy boundaries. Too often as academics we assume what our students do and don’t know which can cause harm. I think it is important to arm students, particularly when they come from a different culture, with resources that provide them with context for their experiences in terms of the historical systemic racism in the UK. I think the University should do more to be transparent with overseas students of colour regarding the racism they may encounter attending University here. This is particularly relevant now that quarantine the Black Lives Matter protests are forcing people to pay attention to the catastrophic consequences of white supremacy, racism and anti-blackness worldwide. As a result I deliberately try to introduce resources and discussion around intersectionality during every tutorial I conduct, and I encourage students to examine and challenge their own perspectives around race, gender and sexuality.

Task 2
Read Hahn Tapper (2013) ‘A pedagogy of social justice education: social
identity, theory and intersectionality’, Pp. 411- 417 (and see diagram on
p.426) this can be found in the blog PDF within moodle. Discuss two things you
learnt from the text. And one question/provocation you have about the text.
Write a min. 100 word reflection or no more than 5 minute vlog.

Diagram of 6 grey and black circles. Visual representation of the diverse components that make up this pedagogical form of social justice education, including three of the pillars already discussed. Each one is layered on another, beginning with A and moving in a clockwise manner.

“Although this is not necessarily a problem—the
heterogeneity surrounding an idea can potentially add great depth to its
meaning—when a term is used without simultaneously offering a definition, its meaning can become inconsistent or even superficial.”

The quote above really stuck out to me, I often think about this in terms of the dictionary definition of racism as “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” vs the social justice definition “The individual, cultural, and institutional beliefs and discrimination that systematically oppress  people of color (Blacks, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asians).” (National Conference for Community and Justice website) The former being the definition which is frequently weoponised by people displaying white fragility so that they cannot be held accountable and who also make claims towards “reverse racism” (which makes 0 sense since the reverse of racism is anti-racism).

Relating this to Tapper’s discussion of different conflict resolution methodologies in the text Contact Hypothesis (exposure to an opposing group in a positive way can cause toxic ideas about the group to dissipate over time due to cognitive dissonance) and Social Identity Theory (SIT), “SIT posits that intergroup encounters must be approached in and through students’ larger social identities.” I saw some distinct parallels between the two. In both cases the former allows for little introspection or challenge to behaviour and does not take into account the lived experiences of the people involved, whereas the latter provides much needed context and nuance for the situation at hand. I do find it strange that so far on this course there have been no active workshops around conflict resolution, particularly pertaining to highly charged topics such as race, religion and disability. Again the assumptions made by an academic body – namely that we all empathise and manage conflicts in a way which is healthy- can cause harm to both staff and students and needs addressing.

Task 3
Watch the student film ‘Room of Silence’ from Rhode Island School of Design
https://vimeo.com/161259012. Write a min. 100 word reflection or no more than
5 minute vlog

Watching this I felt completely frustrated and angry, there is so much to unpack. I was lucky enough to have academics of colour teaching me when I was at university at Middlesex, and at the time I naively assumed that every Fine Art course was similar – since the arts are so liberal. It was only after speaking to friends who graduated from other universities that I was made aware of the lack of representation of BPOC academics across all teaching levels. Obviously this is a disgrace – for multiple reasons. The thought that these students have paid for an education which they are essentially not receiving because of the lack of knowledge and racism of the faculty is infuriating. Experiences like mine, where students of colour are supported by staff of colour and the reading and references are wide-ranging and attempting to be inclusive, are obviously unicorn-like in their rarity. What stuck out to me the most is the emotional labour the students in the video all had to perform. It is clear that managing their own emotions and expectations as well as those of their fellow students and their teachers is exhausting and will affect their work, but when it comes to assessment these factors are obviously never considered and they are clearly contributing to attainment gaps between white and BIPOC students.

Task 4
Review ‘Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design’ Finnigan
and Richards 2016. Discuss two things you learnt from the text. And one
question/provocation you have about the text. Write a min. 100 word reflection
or no more than 5 minute vlog

Reading this report I was immediately struck by two points, the concept of “talent over privilege” and the idea that students are encouraged to “take risks” but desire certainty and safety from tutors. For me, the concept of talent itself is tricky, and very coded by the overwhelming concept of the white, cis-het male genius artist archetype. If we extend that further, of course it is easy to be a “genius” and feel safe to take risks with your work if you have privilege and are in the majority. If you have precedent and an entire canon and cultural model to support your behaviour and work you would think nothing of “shaking things up”. However, students of colour may come from backgrounds where they are already taking a significant risk by going to art school in the first place, rather than a career which is deemed as being more “solid” e.g. doctor, lawyer, engineer etc. The flip side of this is that because of racism, when students of colour do take risks with their work they are often penalized for it as seen in the “The Room of Silence” film, their tutors do not know how to effectively critique the themes in their work or are deliberately obtuse when challenged about their lack of knowledge and racist teaching practices. In both cases the lack of awareness in the faculty and the policies of the university as a whole is a serious issue which HE institutions seem to only want to address or combat on a surface level.

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Inclusive Teaching and Learning in HE: Faith

Task 1:
Look at the following resources and respond:
Visit the Religion, Belief and Faith identities UAL website and answer the questions:

  • How could you apply the resources to your own teaching practice?
  • How could you integrate the research/work your students do on this subject into your teaching/professional practice?
  • Can you cite examples? You will share your thoughts within your groups and comment and share further resources you use in your own context. Write a min. 250 word reflection or no more than 10 minute vlog.

Reflection:
Looking at the site it is clear that many academics at UAL have thought very deeply about the relationship between the arts and religion. Despite artists coming from various backgrounds the arts are now considered “secular” (read religiously neutral), but I wonder what that secularity actually means and if it participates in the erasure of artists who make faith-based work. It seems that if artists or creatives are making work about faith, it is very often branded as “controversial” or “challenging” (Dazed, Sinclair 2015) or, perhaps it is only the works that can be labelled as controversial which attract attention.

Thinking about this idea of the supposed neutral/secular religious attitude of the artworld made me think about radical pedagogy and it’s acknowledgement of the inherent biases within teaching and pedagogical frameworks. I think the resources on the site could be used to open up a respectful safe space discussion with students about their ideas around what is controversial and what is secular when it comes to religion/faith in an arts setting. Within the context of the course I teach on, MA Applied Imagination, it could be useful to ask students to use the site as part of their research in order to create their own intervention which would then have the potential to be turned into a case study for the university.

It is important to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to subjects such as belief or faith, if students share their research/feedback with me and reveal that there are areas of sensitivity which need to be discussed or refined regarding the course curriculum or my personal teaching practice I would take this into account and adjust accordingly. For example, if during a lecture I unintentionally used an image offensive to a particular faith and a student informed me of this, I would immediately remove the image from the presentation and ask for greater clarity and context so that I could pass this onto my colleagues and do my own research.

Task 2:
Choose a minimum of 3 headings from the ‘Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education.’ Stimulus paper (Modood & Calhoun, 2015) The PDF can be found on Moodle. Discuss two things you learnt from the text and one question/provocation you have about the text. Write a min. 100 word reflection or no more than 5 minute vlog.

Reflection:

Dogma (1999) – Belief vs Idea scene

Reading through the ‘Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education.’ Stimulus paper (Modood & Calhoun, 2015) I immediately thought of this scene from the Kevin Smith film Dogma (1999). Chris Rock plays the character Rufus, the 13th apostle who was edited out of the Bible because he is black. In this scene, Rufus and the protagonist Bethany are discussing the concept of absolutism or dogma, versus having ideas or philosophies that can grow and change as we do.

The film is both an irreverent and reverent exploration of Catholic dogma, and it is clear that Smith, as a lapsed Catholic, is attempting to reconcile the beliefs he was raised with, with the ideas he has now. Because my thoughts immediately went to this film while reading the text, I wondered what I would do if a student of mine made a film like this? How do you provide critique of the work without seeming to either critique their exploration of ideas or their religious beliefs? Religious literacy can help with this to a certain degree, but we also have to factor in compassion and discernment as important factors here and take each situation on a case by case basis rather than having a blanket rule for all. If I as a tutor am stifling the creativity of a student due to my own beliefs or biases, that is an issue. It’s also important for me to ask the right questions of the student; in an attempt to direct their line of inquiry, and if I am unfamiliar with their religious practice, to research what I can.

Modood mentions secularism in his text, and hints that secularism has its own bias but presents the illusion of neutrality. I would have liked to see him examine it further, because secularism has its roots in a Utilitarian philosophy, which roots in Christianity. To say that any outlook/philosophy is presented in a “secular” society is completely removed from religious ideology or faith based ideas is erasure of both cultural and historical context. I agree with Modood that this seems to be particularly prevalent in Higher Education but I wonder if religious literacy classes without direct confrontation of racism and/bias is enough?

Task 3:
Listen to the Kwame Anthony Appiah Reith lecture on Creed. Write a min. 100 word reflection or no more than 5 minute vlog.

Reflection:
I really enjoyed this lecture and Appiah’s playful but well researched take on this subject. As a black, gay, man his positionality leant an interesting perspective to the talk. I found it hard to listen to the antagonistic comments from religious people in the audience with regards to his sexuality. Again, I wondered how I would navigate a situation like that if it occurred while I was teaching? How do we as educators practice religious literacy/sensitivity when the beliefs of one student are hostile to the sexuality of another? Could I truly be neutral in that discussion? Hopefully I never have to find out, but I think it’s important to consider these questions because they force me to interrogate my own politics.

Task 4:
Read the terms of reference from SoN around Faith

Reflection:
Reading through the ToR a few things jumped out to me about my own positionality in terms of religion. My mother is white, Jewish and an atheist. My father is Jamaican, was raised as a Christian, and is an atheist. Both were shocked when I showed an interest in religion, and expressed my beliefs around the existence of a higher power. Over the course of my life, I’ve become very interested in theology, practices of belief , philosophy and where they all meet in the middle. Thinking about my own spirituality, I really resonated with to the note from Raman Mundair when they are discussing the increasing popularity of Santeria, Oshun and witchcraft, defining them as: “A practice of faith and higher power that connects the practitioner with a conduit of history, DNA, epigenetics, myth and nature.” I also felt a connection Sahar Amer’s piece, Surah Yusuf for a couple of reasons. The first is that the story of Joseph is also a central pillar of Judaism. The second, which is completely self interested, is that the name of Aziz’s wife – the one who tries to seduce Yusuf and when she is rejected, has him thrown in jail instead – is Zulaikha, my name (Zuleika) being the Anglicised version. There is even a beautiful epic poem, Yusuf and Zulaykha by Jāmï, dedicated to the star-crossed pair.

Bibliography:
https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/28290/1/the-groundbreaking-artists-challenging-religion-through-art

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/jamis-allegorical-romance-yusuf-and-zulaykha

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1st Inclusive Teaching & Learning session

Prior to this session we were asked to review a video from the Paulo Friere Project called Why Critical Pedagogy? and prepare some thoughts in response to the following prompts:

  • What are the central concerns of critical pedagogy?
  • In what ways does critical pedagogy relate to UK Higher Education?
  • How does critical pedagogy relate to your own practice?
  •  Discuss one thing you have learned or surprised you from the film
  • Discuss an aspect of critical pedagogy that you would like more information/clarification on.

Critical pedagogy (CP) is widely concerned with decolonizing the curriculum and creating a program of study which recognizes the biases (unconscious or otherwise) of the curriculum designers themselves. In this way CP seeks to utilise socialist and intersectional models of education to create alternative modes of learning. These modes are usually student centred: focussing on empirical teaching and learning and rooted in activity based learning rather than didactics.

The responses from my colleagues in the session were interesting and mirrored many of my own thoughts. Many of us were already utilising critical pedagogy in our teaching practice without even knowing that it was a practice at all, which was a pleasant surprise. This kind of innatism is mentioned briefly in the Friere video and is to a certain extent linked with empirical teaching and learning as it relates to teaching in non- Western communities or communities of colour. If this is the case then CP provides a practice for unlearning the damaging pedagogical methods which signify a colonized curriculum and re-establishing a connection with innate embodied knowledges which allow us to bring out the best in our students.

This kind of teaching has particular scope in Arts Higher Education settings which are less formal and rely on group centred teaching and learning practices such as crits and group tutorials. Considering this in relation to my own teaching on the MA Applied Imagination course, I am contemplating ways that students can be encouraged to utilise their own knowledge base and trust their initial instincts when it comes to their research projects. Many of them come from authoritarian educational backgrounds where this way of thinking has not been encouraged, and the concept of trusting their initial instinctual thought process is alien and scary. I am interested in utilising CP to in essence give them permission to trust in the exercise of process based (rather than results based) learning. Transitioning them gently from the absolutism of other forms of formal education into the ambiguity of arts education.

There was a general consensus that while the film attempted to demonstrate critical pedagogy and apply an understanding of intersectionality to teaching practice, there was a distinct lack of diversity featured in the film itself – i.e. all the academics featured were white and the majority of them appeared to be over 40. Additionally, the video was difficult to follow at times, with editing and graphics which could possibly be difficult to read or follow for people who are neurodiverse or have visual impairments. There seemed to be a disconnect between the content of the film and the visuals produced which was jarring. This highlighted to me that the resources we use lessons in can provide valuable teaching moments for students to engage their critical thinking on multiple levels. Even if students don’t think the resource is valuable or completely correct in its execution this gets the students thinking/engaging with their thoughts and feelings about how the ideas featured in the resource can be produced/portrayed differently. 

During the course of the day we were also asked to engage with a couple of exercises or tasks which enabled us to draw from our different intersecting identities and lived experiences and use them to explore the concept of positionality. For example, I as a white passing, middle class, mixed-race Jewish woman living with a chronic illness occupy a unique set of privileges, biases and challenges. My Jewish Zayde (grandfather) used to say “We all have our meshugas!” which essentially much means we all have our stuff to deal with in life. This applies as much to students as it does to staff. Being aware of my positionality means that I am conscious of how my meshugas can and will affect my teaching. Over and above that, how can I use my unique set of circumstances to enhance and inform the learning of my students? Perhaps through radical honesty, acknowledging that the supposition that teaching occupies a neutral space is false and admitting that we all have bias/encouraging students to explore this in a safe space? Approaching situations from a place of empathy and cultural awareness in the first instance and attempting to embed those principles into my teaching time. Following on from this it is important to realise that safe and inclusive spaces do not look the same for everybody, neurodiverse or disabled students will have different access requirements and part of creating a teaching environment which is inclusive is doing one’s own research and asking the students themselves what their access requirements are e.g. comfortable chairs, taking breaks, use of stimming/sensory tools in class, choosing videos that have closed captioning etc.

Later on in the day we discussed the Equality Act (2010) and protected characteristics which were put in place to prevent legal discrimination against anyone on the grounds of:

Gender reassignment
Age
Disability
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion and belief
Sex
Sexual Orientation

As educators we have a personal and professional liability to our students as well as our colleagues to prevent and flag discrimination wherever possible. However, within an institution which has its roots in colonialist patriarchal ideals, it is difficult to do this. Policy and bureaucracy abounds, and the burden of proof often falls upon those who have been victimized and traumatised in the first place – often resulting in cases of discrimination being dropped due to sheer exhaustion and the emotional strain proceedings like that take on the bodies of the oppressed. UAL does have an anonymous complaints service in place via the “Tell Someone” campaign, in order to give students who may be too afraid to come forward with complaints a voice within the University. We discussed the importance of signposting students to the various services within the university, such as counselling, disability services, tell someone etc and what impact being armed with knowledge and resources can have upon the general and educational wellbeing of students.

Overall I feel that I learned a lot in this session about using the experience of the student to help them to learn. A couple of the exercises that we did during the seminar such as active listening and the simple act of writing down our various identities were very helpful in beginning the dialogue around self reflection and its importance as part of a healthy teaching practice. I’m looking forward to utilising the methodologies we learned of today in my own teaching moving forward.